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When the Portuguese arrived in the 1500s, they brought their own culinary
influences to Brazil. They also imported other dishes and flavors from their vast
empire, including okra from Africa, while exporting Brazilian dishes and ingre-
dients, including potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, manioc, and a drink called
guaraná, made from the powdered seeds of the
cipó
tree. Portuguese traders
also took native sweet potato and nuts to Africa, which later spread to North
America, Europe, and Asia. Seventeenth-century traders also introduced maize
to other countries, including those in Europe and Africa. When they were liv-
ing in Portugal, the colonists had eaten mostly meat, fish, soups and stews.
By the 1600s, only small traces of Portuguese cuisine remained in Brazil. It was
largely transformed by indigenous dishes infused with contributions from India
and Africa. Some dishes remain today, however, including a delectable shrimp
soup to which, upon their arrival in the region, the Portuguese added Brazil nuts.
A HEARTY MEAL
If Brazil had a national dish, it would be
feijoada
, the Portuguese
word for "bean," which is a hearty and robust meat and black bean
dish brewed with a variety of pork meats and parts, including bacon, pig’s
ears, pig’s feet, tails, spare ribs, and tongues. Cooks then serve the stew with
rice, sautéed collard greens, and kale. According to legend, the dish was first
made by slaves on the sugarcane plantations, using the scraps of meat their
masters would not eat.
A bowl of
feijoada
, the
classic Brazilian meat
and black bean dish.
CHAPTER THREE: FOOD AND DRINK